Сребърни монети на цар Теодор Светослав от нумизматичната колекция на РИМ – Бургас

Silver coins of Tsar Theodor Svetoslav from the numismatic collection of the RMH – Burgas

Abstract

Alongside the antique and medieval coins, the Numismatic collection of the Regional Museum of History – Burgas contains also two silver pieces minted in the name of the medieval Bulgarian Tsar Theodor Svetoslav (1300/1301 – 1321/1322).
The asprae of Tsar Svetoslav are known to science since more than 180 years. Their exact definition as monetary signs of the Medieval Bulgaria belongs to our Revival enlightener Vasil Aprilov (1789 – 1847). The number of asprae found and known in the literature is far from great – about 100-150 pieces; together with the pieces housed in public and private collections they come to approximately 500-600 pieces. In recent years, the silver coins of Tsar Svetoslav were defined as the earliest official silver coinage in Medieval Bulgaria.
Description of the coins from the RMH – Burgas:
Obverse: Christ with beard and moustache. Cross-like halo on the head. Dressed in tunic and kolobion. Sitting front on a throne without a back – the right shoulder of the throne terminates in a two-pointed ornament and the left one – in a three-pointed ornament. His right hand is raised up for blessing, and his left hand is holding a Gospel on his knees. Legend on both sides of the head: IC XC. The representation is enclosed within a doted circle.
Reverse: Tsar Theodor Svetoslav with a long beard and moustache; with a low stemma crown decorated with pearls and with propenduli terminating in crosses. Dressed in chlamys, divitision and loros. Standing front on an oval subpendion. In his right hand holding a scepter with a cross and in his left one – a small anexikakia lying on his chest. A round legend: СВАТСЛАВ ЧР БЛГРМ (ligature writing). The representation is enclosed within a doted circle.
The first coin is under Inv. N 483, found in Debelt village (probably in its area).
Silver: 20/19 mm in diameter; 1,14 g in weight (Табло XLVI i).
The second coin is under Inv. N 1139, found in Dobra Polyana village (probably in its area). Silver: 21/20 mm in diameter; 1,35 g in weight (Табло XLVI ii).
The Map 1 shows that according to the information published so far, together with the hoard from Kaliakra Cape (15 coins), both pieces from the RMH–Burgas mark the easternmost, and the coin from Debelt – the south-easternmost boundary of spread of the asprae of Tsar Theodor Svetoslav in today’s Bulgaria.